Flexi Rod Success !!!

Hey Ladies !! Sorry it took a few days to get back to you. Let me get right to it!!
I started the whole process on a friday night around 10pm or so. I used my new favorite conditioner (Cream of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment packet) mixed with a few drops of Hollywood Beauty Morrocan Oil. I left the mix on my head for an hour or so. I shampooed with my Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Shampoo and then did a quick cowash with Tresemme Naturals conditioner to ensure all the shampoo was washed out.

I then sectioned my hair and applied Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in along with some Kera Care Foam Wrap Lotion. Finally I began to roll my hair, and I used some of my leftover Miss Jessie's Curly Meringue (hadn't really used it much) on each piece that I rolled. In total, I used 32 purple flexirods. My rods are the Annie brand, in the 3/4 diameter. Here is a link :

http://www.blackhairspray.com/annie-soft-twist-rollers-7-purple-5-ct-3-4-diameter-annie1205.html










After rolling, I sat under the dryer for about an hour, by then it was around 1-2 am and I was exhausted so I went to sleep. I wasn't sure if I was completely dry, so I slept with them in again o_O . It wasn't terribly uncomfortable though, I kind of found the perfect spot, hahahaha.







In the morning I just unrolled and picked the curls apart !! Not to brag, but this style was such a hit!! People who know me compliment me and even complete strangers keep making positive comments and stop me wondering how I did it and saying how gorgeous they think it is. I definitely will do this style again!!! It may be my staple style for a little while :)









The links to my flexirod tutorial are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGLj27rAIU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb2mZEizvCg

Thank you as always!!!!

Rollersetting Challenge (Style # 2)

Here are a few pics of my Flexi-Rod set!! I did this style in a rush last night(actually midnight-1am this morning!). I have a Christmas Party to attend today !!! I am about to head out now to get my last minute errands done before I leave for NYC...I just had to show you guys though !! I love the results.

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Thanksgiving Hair & My Rollersetting Challenge

As you read in my last blog, I'm back on the roller/rods bandwagon!! I am challenging myself to refrain from flat ironing until my birthday in February. I am going to wear rollersets and other low manipulation styles until then!! I know it will be very very difficult, but this challenge is for my own good. It seems everytime I come on here, I say the EXACT same thing about doing a better job caring for my tresses..This time I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY do mean it. I notice my hair is not yet damaged, but it just lacks the life & body that it had before I went crazy on it. I really have been overusing heat!! I'm done torturing my poor head. I will be buying a wig just in case I feel the urge to straighten again !!! I love the fact I've been wearing my real hair the last 6-7 months, so the wig will sit in the closet as an emergency option only!

So far my tentative Plan Of Action is to wash/condition/roll my hair every 7 days. I will be doing intense deep conditioning treatments on the weekends, along with light protein & hot oil treatments. Go hard or go home...I gotta get my hair and scalp back in shape !!

On Thanksgiving day, I did a rollerset on the turquoise/aquamarine color rollers ( 1& 1/4 diameter magnetic rollers). I was a little off, but I got back into the swing of it. I used 30 rollers total, and I was really happy with the results !! Here is my hair before, during, and after ....







As you can see, I didn't get my hair on the rollers PERFECTLY but they still came out really nicely!!












Here is photo of my hair...I will update later with a better quality pic when I find my camera !!




The curls came out really softly, they weren't crunchy or hard at all.. I thought I used alot of foam wrap but I guess not !! My next rollerset will probably be done with the purple flexirods. I'm so excited !!!

Thank you for reading Everyone :)






********I almost forgot to tell you what I did !! For this rollerset, I oiled my scalp with African Royale Hot Six Oil, and then applied my prepoo mix with cheap conditioner. I slept with the mix on overnight. The next morning, I shampooed with my Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter Shampoo. Next I did a 30 minute light protein treatment with my ApHogee 2 Minute Reconstructor, rinsed it out, and did a brief deep condition with Cream of Nature Argan Oil Intensive Conditioning Treatment. I left that on for almost an hour, then I rinsed and applied some Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-in, and some Kera Care Foam Wrap Lotion. I rolled my hair on the rollers and sat under the dryer on and off for 2 hours (probably under the dryer for an hour & 15 mins total though, the rollers were small so it took longer to dry). When I took out the rollers, I applied some Fantasia IC Heat Protectant Serum and straightened my puffy roots on low heat !!! That was it :)

Back to the Basics ....

Hello Ladies & Gents !!

Let me fill you in on what's going on with me since I last blogged ...




On October 13th 2011, I got my hair colored THE EXACT same color again !!! I LOVE IT !!! It had been almost 4 months since I initially colored it. I love it so much!!! I found out the name and brand of the color for those who asked. My stylist uses Salerm brand, #6.4 and my color is simply called "Dark Copper Brown". Here is a link to it !!

http://i.pgcdn.com/pi/75/84/22/758422858_125.jpg.

Ever since June, I've been wearing my hair straightened. Well after 5 months, I've had enough !!! My hair is already colored and the constant heat thing is going to start taking a toll if I don't give my hair a rest. I started watching some youtube videos looking for perm rod/flexirod ideas, and now I'm back on the rollersetting bandwagon!!! I really would <333 LOVE to see my hair reach my waist by my birthday in February. I don't know how realistic this goal is, but I'm going to try my best !! I purchased some smaller sized rods so that I can rock the curly fro for an extended amount of time. Right now, my plan is to use rollers in the 7/8", 1", and 1 & 1/4" diameters (yellow, tan, and turquoise, pictured respectively)







I also went ahead and treated myself to a floor standing/rolling hair dryer. I love my old faithful table top dryer, but honestly it was a pain propping it on tables or books. I could never seem to get it to the right height. I also have a soft bonnet hair dryer that I can use on the bed or floor, but the air distribution was never even, and I could never get it completely over my rollers either. I'm glad I no longer have to worry about any of those issues!!

My new dryer is by Belson, the Gold N Hot Stand Hair Dryer, Model#GH053. I used it for the first time on Thanksgiving, it was great!! Nice and warm and just a dream after being immobile for so long, LOL... Initially I wanted a Pibbs Qwik Dry, but right now 300-500 dollars is just not a smart move for me to make. I'd rather buy a nice hair steamer to condition with for that kind of money if I had to! I purchased the dryer from Sally's, it was on sale for $88 dollars. I like that it is black instead of the white Conair brand dryers they usually sell. It comes with a 2 year warranty and was very simple to put together. I will keep everyone posted on how it hold up!! Here is a link with all the specifications and a picture :)

http://www.mississaugabeautysupply.com/belson-gold-n-hot-stand-hair-dryer-model-gh1053/




I'll have a blog on my rollerset results next !! Thank you for reading everyone :)

..:: My Regimen ::..

Here is the MOST current version of my regimen as of September 2011. I have copied and pasted it exactly as it appears on my Hair Forum pages. Enjoy !!!! :-)

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Quick Update : As of August 3, 2011, my hair is NL/SL when it's unstretched, and it just passes my bra when I do my flat irons. July 29, 2011 marked 2 Years since my Big Chop !


I have Hand-In-Hair Syndrome, so I prefer to do protective styles that don't require me to touch my hair for days and weeks at a time ! Although alot of ppl don't like that I wear wigs and weaves, they were the main reason I was able to retain all of my length each month. I grew my hair from my big chop (which left me with 3-4 inches at EL/NL) to APL in just a year by protective styling. TRUST ME, protective styles work!


Currently I'm enjoying my new length, I've been wearing my hair in stretched hairstyles. I enjoy rollersets/flexirod sets/flat ironing/blowouts, and I love my braidouts when I wear my hair curly. I only wear my hair stretched, I prefer having the length.

0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0~0


I don't have a regimen, I just wash my hair whenever I feel like it. If I had to guess what I do on average, I would say I try to wash it:

■every 10-14 days in the winter, every 5-7 days in the spring, and I cowash every 2 or 3 days in the summer.


■I always prepoo on dry hair, shampoo or cowash, and then apply my leave-ins and begin styling.
If I'm going to do heat styling with my flat iron or for a blowout, I take a few more steps in my regimen.

For rollersetting & Flat Ironing:

■Prepoo overnight on dry hair, shampoo the next morning, apply my light protein treatment, and follow behind that with another moisturizing deep conditioning treatment. Then I apply my leave-in conditioner, foam wrap, and heat protectant serum. I NEVER use double heat, so I do a rollerset first before flat ironing. I've never had any heat damage using this method. I do not worry about heat damage either. If I get it, I'll cut it off. Plain and simple.

For Blow-outs:

■I follow the same method as I would for rollersetting up to applying my leave-ins and heat protectant but instead of rollersetting my hair, I do cornrows to first stretch my hair, wait for my hair to become about 85% dry, then I do the blowout in small, detangled sections. I get incredible stretch using this method, and it's much more gentle on my hair than doing it on dripping wet hair.


■I try to moisturize daily with a dime size amount that I focus on the ends. I seal with oil.


■I oil my scalp every 2-3 days usually.


That's my total regimen in a nutshell

September Blowout

Yesterday (9/17/2011) I had the joy of going to the salon for another Dominican blowout !!!

I did my prepoo that morning with some Nexxus Humectress and Hot Six Oil on my dry hair, then I headed out to the salon.

Once I got there, I was shampooed, deep conditioned under a Pibbs dryer, and asked if I wanted my hair set on rollers or just blown out. For time's sake, I opted for a blowout [[ I know what you're thinking, but hey, we all take shortcuts at one time or another right?!?]]

My hair was blown out with a roundbush and dryer, and then I was asked if I wanted a trim. I definitely wanted one !!! My stylist (Elita) cut about 1/4 in some areas, 1/2 in others, and possibly even a whole inch in the front where the ends needed some help. I LOVE MY RESULTS!!! My hair is so even and smooth. I love my layers once again. I probably will get one blowout a month, if even that. I currently have my eyes set on 2 lace front wigs that look exactly like my own hair textures [one curly, the other a yaki straight]. I hope to be able to purchase them ASAP so that I can give my hair another much needed break for maximum length retention.

Here is my new length after the trim!! Mid-Back/Waist Length hair, I'm coming for you !!!!

What is YOUR Dream Length Hair?

I think we've all asked ourselves this question at some time or another during this Hair Journey.

I used to want Rapunzel-like hair all the way to my hips when I first started my journey and after my Big Chop, but now I think that's a little TOO extreme for my taste.

Now I want a nice curly SL/APL layered look like Rochelle Aytes (I had to Google her name! I've only known her by her character names of Lisa in "Madea's Family Reunion" and Denise in "White Chicks") I think this goal is very realistic since her texture is not too far from my own. The look in this pic can easily be acheived with a good twistout with perm rods, or flexirods!! Her length is believable, and incredibly full and healthy. This is my goal curly hair!! I think by next year I could possibly reach this look...POSSIBLY. LOL




My straight hair goal is exactly similar to the length and cut hair Beyonce has, and my straight hair styling goal is to get the Gabby's voluminous curls. I CANNOT WAIT to be here !!! I hope I am at this length by the spring/summer of 2012. This is so beautiful and healthy (even if they may be lace fronts or weaves. It's not dramatic or overdone at all to me! I really love B's color as well :)






What is your dream length hair, curly, straight, or both? I would love to see a pic if you can post a link below!!!

Closer To My Dreams :)

The other night, I was passing time by looking at different profiles and pictures on the hairboards. I ended up going through some of my saved favorite pictures. Most of these saved favorites are from years ago, and the women all have bra-strap length hair and beyond.

I looked at these pics and for some reason, I just could not become excited or astonished. Don't get me wrong, these women had some G O R G E O U S healthy hair....but when I saw these pics for what felt like the 50th time, I found that I thought less along the lines of "I can't wait for the future when I'm there!!" and felt more like "Wow, I'm not very far behind her" ...


Then I took the time to go through my own picture collection, starting with my older pics and working my way up to my newest. I was just filled with complete and utter shock.

I can't believe it, but I've been on my HHJ almost 3 years now. December 15th will mark my third year on my journey!!! I can't believe I'm just months away from reaching my ULTIMATE hair goal, WL hair. It's surreal to me, I mean I'm in a state of complete disbelief.

Here is a pic of my hair dated September 9, 2009



Here is a pic of my hair almost 2 years later, dated August 2, 2011.


Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm only going to graze it in my longest layers. Nonetheless, I've met a MAJOR personal feat that I set for myself!! It's still amazing because I realize I started at my shoulders, cut my hair up to my ear, and now it tickles my lower back. All in 2 years time!!! I've never had that much success in any of my endeavors, and so quickly. NEVER...I've been blessed in other endeavors, but it's always taken alot of time. This will be a start to a happy end :)

Honestly, before my HJ I knew that long waist length hair was possible (in a wishful thinking, optimistic, "you-can-do-anything-you-put-your-mind-to" kind of way) but I honestly never pictured myself having it again as I did in my childhood. I had some silly reasons why it wouldn't be, such as, "I'm too old now," "my hair is too coarse," "I'm not a child anymore and my hair doesn't grow that quickly". Thank you LORD that I was wrong about myself!!! hehehehe

I'm so determined to get to WL ASAP!! I am going to reduce the amount of heat I use and bun my hair more frequently. I am also going to rely on flexirod sets, cheat rollersets, braidouts, and any other cute heat-free styles I can find!! I want to play with clip in pieces, and try making my very own homeade half wig. I really can't wait to get this wrap-up started ! I will be making videos again really soon you guys. I've been really blessed and I want to share the information I've learned with you all.


Thank you for reading !!!

2 Years Natural !!!

Wow, I've been gone for so long !!!

Well on July 29th, 2011, I celebrated my second Big Chop-iversary !!! I went to the salon the next day for a Domincan blowout.

I haven't had much of anything going on in my HJ, besides getting my hair colored professionally !! It came out as brown/copper like color.

I also started playing around with braidouts on reverted flat ironed hair. I LOVE THEM !!!

That's all that's going on in my world right now. I will be back with some more updates later :)

May 2011 Sew-In with Mongolian Kinky Curly Hair:






June 2011-Length Check, Blowout, & New Color!!!






July 2011- Ponytails, Blowouts, and Braidouts !










August 2011-Length After Trim and My Color Growing Out !!